Flood Maps May Be Changing Soon

By Dan Reichard, Realtor®, Smith and Associates Real Estate

April 2, 2019 — Most flood maps for Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, Tierra Verde, and St. Pete Beach, were last updated in 2003. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been working to update the maps in our area, and the agency has released its preliminary findings to the public.

Click on the image above to launch the map tool and follow the instructions below.

As you may know, the base flood elevation (BFE) of a home is a key element used to determine flood risk and the associated costs of flood insurance. Thankfully, the preliminary maps indicate mostly favorable changes in our area by lowering the designated BFE or making no change to it. But some areas, such as parts of St. Petersburg and Safety Harbor, are not so fortunate.

I want to stress that the data released by FEMA is preliminary, and there is no indication of when (or if) the new maps will become effective. But to get an idea what the impact may be of the preliminary flood maps on your flood risk, please visit FEMA’s online mapping tool at fema.maps.arcgis.com. Follow these directions: